This, like any talk from a General Authority, has very powerful insights for he/she ‘who hath ears to hear’ and apply… Condensed versions of Conference talks, do not do the talk, the originator, and especially you/me the ‘receiver’ justice, especially so on a subject such as what Elder Cook speaks of here. This post then, is a ‘taste’. We all would be well served to ‘feast’ upon the rest of it… (by clicking the link below, to listen, watch or read the great counsel given.)
He said: “A stumbling block is “an impediment to belief or understanding” or “an obstacle to progress.”[*] To stumble spiritually is “to fall into sin or waywardness.”[*] A stumbling block can be anything that distracts us from achieving righteous goals. We cannot afford to have our testimonies of the Father and the Son become confused and complicated by stumbling blocks. We cannot fall into that trap. Our testimonies of Them need to remain pure and simple….
What are some of the stumbling blocks that confuse and complicate our pure and simple testimony of the Father and the Son and keep us from being valiant in that testimony?
One Stumbling Block Is the Philosophies of Men….We are committed to knowledge of every kind and believe “the glory of God is intelligence.”[i] But we also know that the preferred strategy of the adversary is to lead people away from God and cause them to stumble by emphasizing the philosophies of men over the Savior and His teachings.
….We know the Apostasy occurred in part because the philosophies of men were elevated over Christ’s basic, essential doctrine. Instead of the simplicity of the Savior’s message being taught, many plain and precious truths were changed or lost. In fact, Christianity adopted some Greek philosophical traditions to reconcile people’s beliefs with their existing culture. The historian Will Durant wrote: “Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it. The Greek mind, dying, came to a transmigrated life.”[ii] Historically, and in our own day, some people reject the gospel of Jesus Christ because, in their view, it doesn’t have adequate intellectual sophistication.
At the dawn of the Restoration, many at least professed to follow the Savior’s teachings. Many countries considered themselves Christian nations. But even then there was prophecy of a more difficult time for our day….
…In our day, the influence of Christianity in many countries, including the United States, is significantly reduced. Without religious beliefs, there is no feeling of accountability to God. Accordingly, it is hard to establish universal values about how to live. Philosophies which are deeply held often conflict with each other.
Unfortunately, this also happens with some members of the Church who lose their bearings and become influenced by the cause of the moment—many of which are clearly not righteous.
… Elder Neal A. Maxwell said in 1982: “Much sifting will occur because of lapses in righteous behavior which go unrepented of. A few will give up instead of holding out to the end. A few will be deceived by defectors. Likewise, others will be offended, for sufficient unto each dispensation are the stumbling blocks thereof!”[iii]
‘Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus’ ~Elder Quentin L. Cook, Conference, October 1, 2016, (p.40 of the November 2016 Ensign)
[*] Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed. (2003), “stumbling block’ and ‘stumble’
[ii] Will Durant, ‘The Story of Civilization’ vol.3, Caesar and Christ (1944), 595.
[iii] ‘Be of Good Cheer’ Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign November, 1982
